


Prototype

by Ravenstag



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ardyn has a lot of fun, Blindness, Daemons, Eventual Explicit Scenes, M/M, Mindplay, Spoilers, Violence, What happened after Altissia changes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:13:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9501938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenstag/pseuds/Ravenstag
Summary: He came to appreciate that he was just a chess piece in Ardyn Izunia's game. Yet he didn't know that, in time, he'd learn the rules himself.He'd be changed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one sets the scene. This is an ongoing, long-term fic that will see poor Ignis suffer in ways both bad and good. 
> 
> This fanfic I'm writing for a friend, which is also going to inspire a role play we have, taking place on Twitter under the hashtag #FFXV_Prototype. The twitter roleplay will differ from this fic, as I'm writing all parts. I hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to comment!

They'd agreed to be the distraction to allow Noctis to rescue Lunafreya and help the covenant with the Hydrean to be forged. The first time since setting off on the road that they had all been parted, it had felt quite unusual and a little unnerving even to the usually calm strategist.

Everything was running so smoothly, they were redirecting the Niffs away from the Hydrean, who seemed to be making quite a commotion on her own, not that the groans, hisses and screeches were intelligible to anyone besides Lunafreya.  
Each of the Crownsguard fought off countless Magitek Troops in their own right, but alone, they were vulnerable and eventually they would fall if they couldn't regroup. He knew he was tiring, and though he had no doubt that Gladio could handle himself for quite a while, Prompto must have been feeling the same exhaustion by now.

The strategist's tactics on how best to hold them off worked for a while, as Magitek Troops often followed a routine. A sequence. However, he hadn't factored in the human equation - he had not expected Niflheim's Chancellor, Ardyn Izunia, to be there. So there was where the smoothness ended, he surmised, once he'd caught sight of the maroon haired man.

They'd shared a look, and the darkness in Ardyn's eyes had shaken him to the core. Focusing all his energy, he used his Sagefire ability to torch the enemies nearby, leaving himself a clearing and a moment to catch his breath.

Then he heard it, the yell of Prompto in pain, or so he'd thought. Instinctively, he'd started to run towards it, not realising it was Ardyn playing the pawn. He'd run right into the trap, and the image of Prompto had fizzled to the taller man. The internal dialogue that ran through him faltered between insulting himself for his own naïveté and calling the Chancellor every name under the sun. Yet no sound came from the normally eloquent man, other than an audible hitch of breath.

All he remembered after that was a searing pain on his face and the Chancellor standing above him as the world started to turn black. The man leaning in and whispering those words that haunted the coma he fell in to. "Don't worry, I'll make it all better."


	2. Remade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis, blinded, is under the 'care' of a certain High Chancellor. This care goes a little further than normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has spoilers, for those who haven't finished the game, about Ardyn. If only briefly!

It felt like a painful heartbeat surrounding his eyes, especially his left, even in his unconscious state he felt the pain. Having no concept of the time that had passed, when Ignis eventually came to, blinking blearily into darkness as he opened now blinded eyes, he didn’t realise it had already been a week. He could see some form of light, but that was it, all else was unformed and damaged beyond repair, or so he thought.

“Oh, so you’re awake.” Came the voice he had prayed not to hear. Ardyn. How long had he been there? A groan came from the aide as he twisted his body on what he soon realised to be a cold lab table against bare skin. That was enough to give him pause, the strategist freezing and letting out a noise of disdain. At least his upper body was bare, he could feel restraints around his wrists and ankles, but there seemed to be some sort of cloth between his ankles and the cold metal of the restraints. Small mercies.

“Where am I? I suppose that’s a redundant question…” Ignis began, “Given what I feel beneath me, I can surmise that I’m in a laboratory and given my present company, I must be in Niflheim. A more useful question would be how long have I been out?” He groaned and struggled again on the hard, unforgiving surface.

“Now, now, don’t struggle, Ignis Scientia. You’d be better conserving your energy, given that you’ve been unconscious for the past week. No doubt that your friends are looking for you, but I doubt they’ll find you.” Ardyn’s voice was melodic and full of dark promise, and without his sight, Ignis could appreciate the layers in a person’s voice. “Even if they did, they’d become diner food before they could even reach the gate.” The Chancellor laughed and to Ignis, it was deafening. His hearing had heightened to compensate for the loss of his vision. 

A week? Ignis’ breath caught within his throat and he made a noise of despair, knowing that there was little hope. “What do you intend to do with me, High Chancellor Izunia?” He turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, his brow furrowed and unseeing eyes still trying to seek out where Ardyn’s eyes would be futilely. 

“So many questions for a _prisoner._ ” The tone from the Chancellor warned him to reign it in and he felt gloved fingers grip his chin, Ignis instinctively trying to pull back away from the touch and grunting as the grip tightened even further. He fell silent as he listened to Ardyn speak once more. “I did tell you in Altissia, but I’ll tell you once more, as you seem to have forgotten. i told you that I’d make it all better. We need to fix those eyes of yours, don’t we? I know just the way.”

The aide felt himself pushed back onto the table once more, letting out some unintelligible noises as he felt a needle puncture his skin, liquid soon following the pain, before darkness took him once more. Anaesthetic.

The High Chancellor stood proudly above his captured prey and grinned to himself. “The best games are the longest lasting, for the prize is all so often the most satisfying.” Once the blond had fallen unconscious again, he gathered his equipment, glad he had removed Ignis’ glasses previously. The scars weren’t pretty, but he could make them fade, no doubt. He was still a healer, after all. However, that could come after work was done. Leaning over the prone and restrained body, he used a speculum to hold both eyes open. it was going to be a delicate operation. 

Making careful incisions, within an hour both eyes had been removed, leaving the sockets. How tragic the young man upon his table looked, but he couldn’t allow emotion to get in the way of work. Glancing to the tray nearby with the replacements he’d manufactured in the labs with Magitek, he carefully replaced the eyes he had taken, reattaching the optic nerves and then the more delicate work.

It took nearly the entire night, and Ardyn was exhausted by the end, but upon the table lay the still unconscious Ignis Scientia, irises of his new eyes glowing a gentle purple. It was then he removed the speculum from each eye. Magitek had given what it had also taken away. When Ignis next regained consciousness, he would have his sight restored, though at a price.

Glancing over his creation proudly one final time, Ardyn grinned and left the room to seek slumber himself. Upon the the table lay his finest work. His prototype.


	3. Restored

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis sees again, in the company of the man who unsettles him the most.

Noises, so many noises. The strategist started to stir from his drug induced slumber, a groan of protest coming from the young man as he pulled against the restraints that kept him against the table. Being held in one position for so long was starting to make him ache. Though nothing throbbed quite as much as his eyes did, so he kept them closed for a while. 

He could 'see' light against his eyelids more than he had before, but he wasn't quite awake or aware enough to process it. Drifting into unconsciousness again temporarily, he felt gratitude for the intravenous drip that was still feeding his body with strong painkillers. 

With Ignis unconscious again, Ardyn stepped into the lab and removed the restraints, wheeling him from the small lab room into a less spartan bedroom. Taking Ignis away from where he could potentially grab something to hurt himself or others seemed to be a sensible move. Calling in two Magitek soldiers, the strategist was lifted from the gurney and onto the bed, stretched out and with the IV affixed to a hook out of reach. All other equipment taken away, and soldiers dismissed, Ardyn attached a single restraint to Ignis' wrist with a chain and moved to a nearby chair to wait. 

An hour passed in silence, before the sound of Ignis stirring was heard. The Chancellor glanced up and waited, observing how the younger man was acting. Groaning as he raised a hand to his head, Ignis rubbed at his forehead before realising most of the restraints had gone. Scrabbling into a sitting position, on what was quite a comfortable bed, he opened his eyes and blinked. 

He could see. There was a slight purple hue at the edges of his vision, but he could see the room he was in. The soft sheets he was sat upon, the end of the bed, the heavy automatic door at the end of the room and ... the Chancellor sitting next to him. 

"You're awake." Came the all too familiar drawl, stating the obvious. He marvelled as the burgundy haired man's lips moved, as if he were seeing for the first time. Everything seemed so special. Catching himself when he realised he was staring, he grumbled, chastising himself for becoming so entranced with his enemy's lips. 

"So what if I am?" The strategist grunted out ungraciously in reply, turning back to face Ardyn again. "I take it you're the one to thank for... this. Whatever this is." He gestured with a gloved hand at the eyes that had now faded to a dull purple, as the younger man had started to relax once he realised he had freedom of movement again. 

A lilting, melodic laugh came from curved lips as the Chancellor nodded. "Yes. An experiment of sorts, I wasn't sure if it would work, but it seems your eyesight has been restored, so I would consider it successful." Leaning forward, Ardyn reached out to grip his chin and appraise his work, turning Ignis' head from one side to the other. "The scar is almost gone as well, though I do hope a little stays. It gives you _character!_ "

Ignis flinched from the touch, but found the grip tightening, so forced himself to relax. Lips parted slightly, tongue briefly slipping out to wet the drying skin. Ardyn's gaze as he did so was almost predatory. It unnerved him, but he did his best to hide that fact. Yet, he couldn't hide the surprised jolt that ran through his body when he felt warm lips against his, unbound hand moving up to press lightly against the broad chest of the Chancellor, willing him to stop. 

The Chancellor tasted of something smokey, with an underlying hint of dark chocolate. He paused as he realised the implication of his thought and shook his head, trying to pull back. Why had he thought that?!

Ardyn drew back, running a thumb over Ignis' lips, before pushing it into his mouth to run against his tongue. "Magitek is just so _promising._ " He rumbled out, drawing the thumb out, looking at Ignis' flushed cheeks and slightly blown pupils. He'd expected to be bitten, but it seemed the influence of what lay in those new eyes had already started to affect the strategist.

"Don't worry. I'll wait until you're ready." With that said and a laugh, Ardyn left after setting a tray of food and water next to the bed. Leaving Ignis to his thoughts, new sights and the silence.


End file.
